Málaga

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Vineyard plots are situated at elevations ranging from sea level to 1,000 metres, giving rise to numerous microclimates across the production zone.
• The climate of the area is Mediterranean in character, with mild winters, a dry summer season, few days of rainfall, and a high number of sunshine hours.
• La Axarquía and Los Montes have shallow slate soils, rugged topography, steep slopes, varied aspects, and annual rainfall of between 300 and 700 mm.
• La Serranía de Ronda is characterised by soils with a limestone substrate, moderate slopes, high annual rainfall, hot and dry summers, and altitudes of between 600 and 1,000 metres.
• The soils of the Manilva area are albariza, with a high limestone content and gentle slopes; a cooler, more humid sub-climate prevails due to proximity to the Atlantic.
• The northern zone, situated on the Antequera plateau from 400 metres above sea level, has deep, calcareous brown soils, generally gentle slopes, and a more continental climate.

• Phylloxera entered Spain through Málaga in 1874, affecting a vineyard that at the time covered 110,000 hectares spread across all the municipalities of the province.
• In 1806, a Royal Charter established the Casa y Compañía de Comercio de Viñeros de Málaga, which applied marks difficult to counterfeit to wine vessels in order to prevent adulteration of its products.

• Málaga displays a range of colours from yellow to black, with floral and fruity aromas in younger wines and complex notes in aged expressions, and flavours ranging from dry to sweet. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• Protection covers fortified wines from 15% vol. to 22% vol., as well as wines produced without the addition of alcohol, including naturally sweet wines, from 13% vol. upwards, made from overripe grapes. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The annual rainfall of between 300 and 700 mm in La Axarquía and Los Montes is, in the drier parts of the zone, ideal for the traditional practice of sun-drying (asoleo) of the grapes.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (pliego de condiciones).

All appellations in Spain

Sources

• National pliego de condiciones (PDF)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-ES-A1481
• Official trade body site — Consejo Regulador de las DOP Málaga, Sierras de Málaga y Pasas de Málaga